TBWA Type System

TBWA is the world leading advertising agency with more than forty years of global presence. Big players like Adidas, McDonald's and Absolut trust their brand communication to TBWA. Decades ago, they pioneered Disruption® as a business transformation methodology. Disruption is their DNA – it informs their mindset & behavior. They don’t dabble in it. They embody it, day in and day out. It’s how they’ve created some of the world’s most iconic brands and work.

“In recent years, we have used our own Disruption® methodologies to shift our offering. We are no longer just an advertising agency, but a total brand experience company. As we evolve, our identity must evolve alongside it.” — TBWA's brand refresh release

To translate that solid concept, we were invited to develop TBWA Grotesk® – the bespoke type family made to disrupt in every single application of TBWA's new visual identity.

The type is inspired by the brand’s logotype and symbol (a backslash). They carry all the disruption DNA we needed to transport to a complete typeface. In fact, the 20 degree slant on their backslash served as guide for italics and reverse italics on the fonts.

Even tough the fonts are innovative and powerful by themselves, much of the disruption comes from custom software, which add effects to the letters. This software we call the Font Disruptor was coded by André Burnier, our partner on the project. The Font Disruptor gives huge personality to the typeface and helps them express TBWA’s innovative ideas.